Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, wins Canadian championship, to face Bangor in Senior League World Series opener

BANGOR, Maine — The Bangor All-Stars finally know the identity of their first opponent in this year’s Senior League World Series.

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, emerged from a tight lead pack at the Canadian qualifying tournament at Thunder Bay, Ontario, on Thursday night, scoring a pair of one-run victories to win that event and secure the 10th and final berth in the Little League Baseball world championships for 15- and 16-year-olds.

Maine District 3 champion Bangor and Cape Breton will square off at noon Sunday in the first game of pool play at the Senior League World Series, which will be held for the 12th consecutive year at Mansfield Stadium.

Cape Breton went 5-1 in preliminary-round play at the Canadian championships, then edged District 1 of Saskatchewan 6-5 in the semifinals Thursday before outlasting host Thunder Bay 9-8 in the championship game.

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Thunder Bay had reached the final with a one-run victory of its own, a 14-13 semifinal survival of Valleyfield, Quebec.

This will mark the first time Nova Scotia has represented Canada in the Senior League World Series since it first was played in Bangor in 2002. British Columbia and Ontario have been the Canadian champion three times each in the previous 11 years while Alberta and Quebec (twice each) and Saskatchewan (once) have sent teams to the Queen City.

Cape Breton and Bangor are joined in Pool A of the Senior League World Series by Makati City, Philippines (Asia-Pacific), Martinez, Ga. (U.S. Southeast) and Pearl City, Hawaii (U.S. West).

The Senior League World Series features five days of pool play, with the top two teams in each pool advancing to next Friday’s semifinals and the nationally televised (ESPNU) championship game set for Saturday, Aug. 17.